Thales to Equip French Navy with Homegrown Anti-Submarine Sonobuoys
Thales has entered into an agreement with the French defense procurement agency (DGA) to furnish the French Navy with several hundred SonoFlash sonobuoys. Produced in France in partnership with local SMEs, the SonoFlash sonobuoy bolsters France’s strategic and operational ambitions in anti-submarine warfare. Deployed from maritime patrol aircraft (like the ATL2) or helicopters (such as the NH90), the SonoFlash sonobuoy facilitates submarine detection. It is entirely interoperable with the Flash dipping sonar and the CAPTAS series of towed array sonars.
Thales will augment the anti-submarine warfare prowess of the French Navy through the provision of numerous SonoFlash sonobuoys. These innovative sonar buoys are unique in offering both active and passive operational modes: they are outfitted with a robust low-frequency emitter alongside a receiver that boasts high directivity.
When integrated with the FLASH dipping sonar, the SonoFlash sonobuoys will empower an airborne platform to extend the search for submarines over a wider area, while also providing enhanced responsiveness to the evasive tactics employed by these vessels.
The advanced communication systems of the SonoFlash allow all surface vessels and aircraft, as well as acoustic support centers equipped with sonobuoy processing capabilities, to access the data acquired by the buoy.
“With its SonoFlash sonobuoy and the CAPTAS and FLASH sonar systems, Thales takes pride in advancing the French anti-submarine warfare industry. The superiority of Thales’s solutions in this domain is acknowledged globally and is being utilized for the French Navy amidst a backdrop of increasing maritime tensions,” stated Sébastien Guérémy, Vice President of Underwater Systems at Thales.
